Eli Krule (SSDS ‘11) traces his passion for politics to middle school, when he witnessed the impact of public policy during the height of the Obamacare debates
After receiving a philosophy, politics, and law degree from Binghamton University, he held several esteemed positions, including campaign work for Amy Klobuchar’s presidential bid, the 2020 Georgia senate runoff elections, and consulting work for US Senate campaigns.
Eli Krule (SSDS ‘11) traces his passion for politics to middle school, when he witnessed the impact of public policy during the height of the Obamacare debates. He recalls, “when the stroke of a pen gave tens of millions of Americans access to affordable healthcare, I realized: I can take part in something to better society and further justice in America.” After receiving a philosophy, politics, and law degree from Binghamton University, he held several esteemed positions, including campaign work for Amy Klobuchar’s presidential bid, the 2020 Georgia senate runoff elections, and consulting work for US Senate campaigns.
Eli is particularly proud of his current position as Finance Director for Congressman Brad Schneider. “The most exciting part of my job,” Eli shares, “is meeting all the amazing office holders, activists, and volunteers who fight the good fight and help keep our democracy going.” He is also applying to Masters programs in public policy, and hopes to deepen his impact through “institutional change in further democratizing our society and increasing access to the ballot box.”
Reflecting on his Schechter years, Eli lightheartedly describes himself as “one of those children that everyone says should be a lawyer because I argued all the time.” While his tendency to challenge the status quo occasionally brought turbulence, the Jewish values intrinsic to his Schechter education inspired him to productively channel this quality.
Following Schechter, the Buffalo Grove native attended Chicagoland Jewish High School (now RZJHS), where he served as a debate team co-captain, and held several Jewish youth group positions, including CHUSY Regional President and USY International Israel Affairs Vice President. His Binghamton University activities included serving as Treasurer of his Alpha Epsilon Pi chapter and both Political Director and Finance Director of Binghamton University College Democrats.
“My Schechter experience gave me a solid foundation for future Jewish learning and instilled in me a commitment to tikkun olam that led me to pursue my career in politics and public policy.”
Eli notes that the Schechter’s fundamental emphasis on critical thinking skills made for seamless transitions into high school and college, and he also credits favorite mentor teachers, including Suzy Hakimian (who he describes as “essentially a second mother to me”), Noreen Ohcana, and Adrienne Eisenmann, for helping him harness his contrarian nature into tenacious changemaking.
Eli explains, “Especially during my undergraduate years, I sensed that my educational experiences differed from those of my contemporaries. Most of them seemed to take information at face value. Inherent in studying Mishnah and Talmud, you see how many different opinions there are—the rabbis go round and round debating every value and punctuation mark. So, whether in Judaic studies class, or in Ms. Hakimian’s science class, the throughline of identifying conflicting viewpoints defined the curriculum and prepared me to confront complexities within my personal and professional life.”
Eli now lives in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood with his dog, Ryno. He maintains connection to his Jewish identity by attending social events through Metro Chicago Hillel’s Base Andersonville and enjoying weekly Shabbat dinners with his dad. Cooking serves as Eli’s creative outlet, spending hours crafting his own kosher versions of his favorite chefs’ recipes.
Eli’s brother, Alex Krule (SSDS ‘07), lives in Chicago and works as a Hematology/Oncology Fellow at the University of Illinois, Chicago Hospital.
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